The Tacoma School District Board of Directors will consider the appointment of Deputy Superintendent Carla Santorno as superintendent-elect (interim) for the period of Jan. 1, 2012, through June 30, 2012 and then as interim superintendent from July 1, 2012, through June 30, 2013. Board President Kurt Miller will offer that motion at the school board’s regularly scheduled meeting on Oct. 13. Santorno has served as the district’s deputy superintendent since the fall 2009. If a majority of the school board approves this action, Santorno would succeed Superintendent Art Jarvis, who announced in June that he intended to retire on June 30 at the conclusion of the 2011-2012 school year.
President Miller explained the reasoning for the current proposal to appoint an interim superintendent and have a transition period concurrent with Jarvis was to allow for continuity and continued progress, while giving the incoming board members the opportunity to evaluate Santorno’s leadership within an 18-month period. The board initially determined to look for an internal candidate to succeed Dr. Jarvis at its annual board/superintendent retreat on Aug. 2. At that time, the board contemplated that the superintendent ultimately hired would be offered an 18-month contract rather than a multi-year contract.
“During Carla’s tenure here, she has continually impressed me with her strategic thinking, her focus on academics and her approach to closing the achievement gap,” Miller said. “I am pleased to make this motion to the board. I believe the proposal considers the board’s thinking from the retreat, but also takes into consideration the new board members who will be sworn in this December. They would have a significant voice in evaluating Carla’s performance and deciding the long-term leadership direction for the district.”
The model of having a superintendent-elect overlap with a sitting superintendent is a model that has been used in other districts to ensure an effective transition of leadership, according to Miller. An example of this model is found in the Puget Sound Educational Service District, which announced last spring that former Highline School District Superintendent John Welch would serve as superintendent-elect for the 2011-2012 school year, during Superintendent Monte Bridge’s last year at the PSESD, thus providing maximum opportunity for an orderly transition.
Miller emphasized that his proposal would also allow the district to take advantage of Jarvis’ 47 years of experience to advocate for Tacoma during the next legislative session in Olympia. With the state Legislature focusing on issues of education funding and reform in November and again in January, “Art’s contacts, reputation and knowledge of the pressures facing education will ensure that Tacoma Public Schools has a powerful voice” as legislators take actions expected to have profound effects on education statewide, Miller said.
“I like the proposal for two reasons,” stated Dr. Jarvis. “It would be consistent with the board’s earlier commitment to continue the strategic direction of the district, and it maximizes our time to enable a solid transition.” The Board of Directors hired Jarvis in August 2007 as interim superintendent after the departure of Superintendent Charles Milligan, who served the district for a year. Then, after an extensive national search process in 2008, the board named Jarvis as the permanent superintendent.
Prior to her tenure as Deputy Superintendent, Santorno served as the chief academic officer for Seattle Public Schools for three years. Previously, she served in multiple roles in the Denver Public Schools system, beginning as a teacher in 1973, staff developer, elementary principal and area superintendent.